Poway Elks celebrating organization's 150th anniversary

The Poway Elks will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks with a dinner at 6 p.m. Friday at the Poway Elks Lodge, 13219 Poway Road.

The dinner, which will include flank steak, is open to the public if reservations are submitted. Those wishing to attend may RSVP by calling 858-748-2543.

Exalted Ruler Larry Fink and District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler Janet Rasmussen will host, with guest speaker Mayor Steve Vaus. Rob Knudsen, from Assemblyman Brian Maienschein’s office, along with a representative from state Senator Joel Anderson’s office, will also be in attendance.

While the Poway Elks have not been around for 150 years, the club has been going 42 years as of this year, said member Paul Kassel. Originally meeting at Poway High School, the Elks later met at Hamburger Factory and at what is now Poway’s Community Theater in the Lively Center, before settling into its final lodge location on Poway Road. Kassel said the lodge has been there for 18 years.

The Poway Elks club has about 380 members, said Rasmussen, though not all still live in the area. It draws members from Poway, Rancho Bernardo and Ramona. About 10 are charter members, who have been involved since the lodge’s inception in 1976.

Originally formed as an all-male organization in 1868, women were allowed to join in the early 1980s. It was originally a social club in New York City for actors, called the “Jolly Corks,” said Kassel. The organization evolved to a more service-oriented nature after the death of a member left the group raising funds for his family. That is when the members changed the name to “the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.”

Rasmussen, who joined the Poway Elks 16 years ago, was the group’s first female president, she said. “That was maybe five years after the Elks organization even let women into (the organization).”

The organization is both social- and service-oriented, Rasmussen said. “Our mission is to take care of our members, but also the surrounding community and veterans. So long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them.”

Rasmussen said every Monday, a lodge in the district (which stretches from Chula Vista to San Clemente and includes 10 lodges) visits a veteran’s hospital and spends times with the residents.

The organization’s 150th anniversary is a great way to highlight the Elks now and where they came from 150 years ago, Rasmussen said. “It’s a truly great tribute to the Elks and their accomplishments, and shows that we are still out in the community.”